Flourishing programs in 80+ disciplines. A vibrant Christian mission. $50 million
in new campus construction. A 2014 Division III national championship. 95% placement
within 6 months of graduation. There’s never been a better time to consider Hope College.

As a member of the MIAA and NCAA Division III associations, Hope College sponsors
22 varsity sports for men and women. The college is home to the 2014 NCAA Division
III National Championship women’s volleyball team.

Great Performance Series Will Feature eighth blackbird on Jan. 31

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The Great Performance Series will feature the multi-Grammy-winning ensemble eighth
blackbird on Friday, Jan. 31, at 7:30 p.m. in Dimnent Memorial Chapel.

The “Chicago Tribune” has praised the group, noting, “Their ability to Synchronize
in absolute lockstep was, in a word, amazing.” BBC (London) has said, “eighth blackbird
play like musicians possessed... They take wing, soaring on an up thrust of precision-tooled
virtuosity.”

eighth blackbird combines the finesse of a string quartet, the energy of a rock band
and the audacity of a storefront theater company. The Chicago-based, three-time Grammy-winning
“super-musicians” (“LA Times”) entertain and provoke audiences across the country
and around the world.

Other highlights include debuts with the Cincinnati Symphony (where the ensemble is
an Artist in Residence) and New World Symphony; residencies at UCLA, SUNY Purchase,
Baylor and Duke; collaboration with Oberlin College’s Contemporary Music Ensemble;
and a debut on the Lincoln Center’s Atrium series.

eighth blackbird holds ongoing Ensemble in Residence positions at the Curtis Institute
of Music, University of Richmond and University of Chicago. A decade-long relationship
with Chicago’s Cedille Records has produced six acclaimed recordings. The ensemble
has won three Grammy Awards, for the recordings “strange imaginary animals,” “Lonely
Motel: Music from Slide” and “Meanwhile.”

The members hail from America’s Great Lakes, Keystone, Golden and Bay states, and
Australia’s Sunshine State. The name “eighth blackbird” derives from the eighth stanza
of Wallace Stevens’s evocative, aphoristic poem, “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird”
(1917). eighth blackbird is managed by David Lieberman Artists.

Tickets are $18 for regular admission, $13 for senior citizens, and $6 for children
18 and under. Tickets are available at the ticket offices in the main lobby of the
DeVos Fieldhouse (222 Fairbanks Ave.) and the Events and Conferences Office located
downtown in the Anderson-Werkman Financial Center (100 E. Eighth St.). Both offices
are open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be called at (616) 395-7890. Tickets
are also available online at tickets.hope.edu/ticketing.

Dimnent Memorial Chapel is located at 277 College Ave., on College Avenue at 12th
Street.

Tom Renner to Receive “Hope for Humanity Award” on Saturday

Tom Renner, who retired at the end of December as associate vice president for public and community relations after serving at Hope College for 47 years, will receive the “Hope for Humanity Award” from the college’s alumni H-Club during halftime of the home Hope women's basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 15, at the DeVos Fieldhouse.